I miss choir already!
This year I am on a mission to promote some lesser-known Christmas songs. Joy to the World and Away in a Manger are all very well, but they deserve a lengthy rest (say, forty years), along with the other ten or so songs that are played ad nauseam for a month and a half straight every year. There are a few—Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire comes to mind—for which I vote Permanent Decimation, but never mind that. (Hey wait, it mentions Eskimos! We could get rid of it on grounds of political incorrectness!)
Some of the songs below are harder to sing, so it’s understandable that they aren’t sung in churches and that sort of thing, but artists releasing the world’s 4238th cover of Silent Night have no excuse. There’s a heap of music out there that no one ever bothers with, except for the occasional choir. Choir is great for this. Their choices are more original, and they immerse you in Christmas music starting in September! What fun.
This Little Babe
Draw Tua Bethlehem
The Huron Carol
The Angel Gabriel
The Wexford Carol (or Celtic Woman version if you prefer)
I Saw Three Ships
What Shall We Give?
Coventry Carol
Gaudete
Masters in This Hall / Strings version
When He Comes Again (this version is not that great, but it’s 100% better than Youtube’s other recording. >.<)
Wise Men, They Came to Look (the internet is sadly deprived of a recording. You must come to my church’s Christmas Eve service to hear it.)
Twelve Days of Christmas, as sung/edited/mocked by Relient K. Sorry. Could not resist.
(Aside: these videos of boys' choirs, especially Libera, always amuse me. They all look so angelic with their white robes and soprano voices. Ha!! What a disguise.)
And I must give a shout-out to O Come, O Come Emmanuel and God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen (not God Rest You, Merry Gentlemen), even though they’re fairly common. I myself like songs that talk about sin and redemption as well, although the other sort is all right too. Because on its own, the fact that Jesus arrived on earth is not important—it’s why he came, and what he did.
What are your favourites—well-known or not?
*wails* I SO want to go! *complains loudly to Mom and Dad about not being able to go visit* :( You must record it and email it. ;) Second best thing.
ReplyDeleteYay for "Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel!" That's our hymn of the week in school. It's a VERY good hymn. Based off of seven antomphins (sp?) in the middle ages.
Oh, I LOVE "Three Ships"! That's one we sing always while doing dishes!
ReplyDelete"Emmanuel" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" are also two favorites. I have a thing with that middle-ages minor key...
But I think my all-time favorite is "Adeste Fidelis" sung in Latin with a full choir. :)
The Wexford Carol from "Celtic Christmas" is one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs. I liked Celtic Woman's version alright, but it didn't have the same church-choir-from-the-medieval-ages feel that the "Celtic Christmas" one has.
ReplyDeleteThose are beautiful! It would be lovely to have them in with our traditional favorites!
ReplyDeleteI also think "In the Bleak Midwinter" should be brought in! And--"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"--ALL the verses!
Hannah - haha, I would record it if I could, but you aren't missing terribly much. ;) It's a pretty song though, melancholy and minor, and has good words.
ReplyDeleteNina - "middle ages minor thing," yep, pretty much! Adestes Fidelis is one that I always recognise but can never place, or connect the tune with the words. Must remedy this. Choir plus Latin, oh it can't help but be good. ;)
Ryan - the fact that this recording is not on Youtube is deeply tragic.
Kayla - I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day! Love that one, I forgot all about it. At least, I love the poem. I think I've only heard the song once or twice. Haha, In the Bleak Midwinter perplexes and gladdens me by turns. The first verse is so lovely, the second is good, but all together they seem disjointed. Maybe a separate Rosetti imposter wrote each verse. :P
Amendment: Nevermind, I just discovered that there are a lot more verses to ITBM than the three they sing at my church. All is well :P
ReplyDeleteMy favourite Christmas song is the one called 'A Soldier's King', or something of that. I like the version sung by Kenny Rogers....especially the line that goes "Some are born for greatness...some are born to be forgotten like they never lived at all...but we're all born to know Him." Or something like that. I've loved it for years...a little melancholy but I like it. :) Alas that I haven't found too many nice versions of it on the internet.
ReplyDeleteI like your picture of the symphony
ReplyDeletebye, Tune the Great